%% date:: [[2023-07-31]], [[2023-09-05]], [[2023-09-09]] parent:: %% # [[Shadow]] In [[Psychoanalysis]], the shadow is the part of your [[Psyche]] where all the repressed thoughts and desires come to rest. First described by [[Carl Jung|Jung]], the Shadow represents the unconscious aspects of your personality that your [[Ego]] has not come to terms with. The Shadow usually involves negative or destructive traits like anger, lust, or greed, but it can also include positive traits that have nevertheless been repressed, such as passion or creativity. Johnson calls these positive traits the "gold" in the Shadow. [^johson] The Shadow and the ego represent a linked [[Duality]] in the human psyche. The more one is expressed, the more the other seeks expression. ## How the Shadow manifests ### Shadow Projections A projection is when we wrongly ascribe a characteristic to a person that they had not yet displayed. A shadow projection involves a characteristic that belongs to our shadow, not the person we're trying to define. Shadow projections are dangerous because they can cause us to behave unfairly or unpredictably towards others. Sometimes this comes in the form of us intensely hating something in someone that we unconsciously recognize as belonging to our shadow. Other times, our shadows cause us to project onto people characteristics that our shadows do not posess, but need. [[Limerence]] is an example of this type of shadow projection, and occurs when we "fall in love" with a false image in our heads of what a person is, so much so that we refuse to see them for who they are. ### Appearances When our Shadows are ignored and unresolved, they often come out in explosive, unpredictable, and often destructive ways. For example, a shadow filled with anger and fear may cause you to inflict physical or emotional violence on someone you love. The point of Shadow Work is to address the shadow and integrate it into your psyche so that it does not do harm. Around midlife, if we haven't found or resolved our shadows, they have a way of coming out. ## Hints about your Shadow Here are some things that may help you identify the form and shape that your Shadow takes: - pet peeves, or qualities of people who irritate you to an irrational extreme - things or activities that you're addicted to - things that make you particularly anxious - slips of the tongue that you make - dreams you have - things you find humour in that may seem unusually cold or uncharacteristically uncaring - things or events that our bodies react to involuntarily - themes that are exposed in your creative work - characteristics of significant (strong positively or negatively influential) people in your life - your feelings about power, sex, money, or addiction - shadows of your family (things they thought were particularly shameful) - shadows of your culture ## Origins of the Shadow Johnson called repressing the Shadow a mark of civilization [^johnson] : we spend the first half of our lives learning discipline and building the light in us-- forming our values and living by them. Because the Shadow is linked to the Ego (light), the process of maturity and civilization necessarily creates shadow. Johnson talks about the repression of shadow in broader terms, saying that highly civilized cultures (such as German culture) usually also have destructive and complex shadows. When the Shadow is repressed too much, it seeks expression in explosive ways. This is called a "projection" of the Shadow, and it occurs when our Shadows lash out at other people and make them bear the brunt of its intensity. This backlash can manifest in different ways, but falling in love can also be a type of projection of Shadow, in that it involves seeing a person not for who they are, but for what parts of them reflect you. ## Dealing with the Shadow ### Symbolic expression Sometimes, the only thing the Shadow needs is to be acknowledged. For these situations, the Shadow may be assuaged by the creation of art that expresses the Shadow. This may lessen the desire to make Shadow desires real, in keeping with [[Catharsis]] theory. Johnson also mentions what he calls "Shadow vows", which are promises made by a couple that voice what their Shadows desire-- not so that they adhere to the promises, but so that the desires are made visible and acknowledged. However, it's not always a given that symbolic expression lessens desire in general. Indulging in a desire may intensify rather than deflate it. ### Letting the Shadow loose When a symbolic expression is not enough, it may be prudent to plan for the Shadow to express itself. Doing so may be defeatist, but it can also be more realistic. When Shadow expression is accepted, you can also circumscribe its [[Minimize the blast radius|blast radius]] and minimize collateral damage. However, there is a danger that the Shadow, once unchecked, does not want to become dormant again. ### Integrating the Shadow The second half of life (according to Jung) involves the work of re-integrating the Shadow back into your personality. Jung calls this process [[Individuation]]. Johnson calls the same process a "religious" experience in the sense of *re + ligare* (to bind again). The process of reintegration of Shadow is in opposition to [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] belief in [[Nirvana]] as a cessation of suffering caused by desire. Another spin on integrating the Shadow is to romance it. [^romancing] Romancing the Shadow is a compromise between burying it and giving it full rein to do whatever it wants. Romancing the Shadow means to understand it, seduce it forth, but also to address it sufficiently so that it doesn't come out explosively. Romancing the Shadow requires Shadow Work: identifying our Shadows, and the self-destructive behaviour that they come with, so that we can live more authentically. Shadow Work is finding the "gold in the shadow". [^johnson] [^johnson]: Johnson, R. A. (2013). *Owning your own shadow: Understanding the dark side of the psyche.* [[sources/Book/Owning Your Own Shadow|My notes]]. [^romancing]: Zweig, C. & Wolf, S. *Romancing the shadow: A guide to soul work for a vital, authentic life*. [[Romancing the Shadow|My highlights]].